The care sector has welcomed the establishment of an independent commission to reform adult social care but expressed concerns that the timescale will lead to years of “paralysis rather than planning”.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting announced the launch of an independent commission into adult social care to inform the work needed to deliver a national care service.

The commission, headed by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, will work with people drawing on care and support, families, staff, politicians and the public, private and third sector to make recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet current and future needs.

“The independent commission will work to build a national consensus around a new national care service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century,” said Streeting.

The first phase of the commission, reporting in 2026, will identify the critical issues facing adult social care and set out recommendations for effective reform and improvement in the medium term. 

The second phase, reporting by 2028, will make longer-term recommendations for the transformation of adult social care. 

Care minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Baroness Casey’s commission will build cross-party consensus, and will lay the foundations for a national care service that’s rooted in fairness and equality. It will tackle both the immediate issues and the fundamental challenges that must be addressed if we are to get our adult social care system back on its feet and fit for the future.”

However Stephen Lowe, group communications director at retirement specialist Just Group, said: “The true challenge facing the Government is not in setting up a commission but in delivering the findings of one.”

He added:“This latest announcement is likely to drive four more years, at the very least, of paralysis rather than planning.”

Andrew Pike, head of policy, campaigns and public affairs at Dementia UK, said: “We welcome the launch of the government’s independent commission to reform adult social care in England. But with the final report not due to emerge until 2028, thousands will remain stuck in limbo. There are nearly one million people living with dementia in the UK – they deserve access to good quality social care now.”   

James Arrowsmith, partner specialising in social care at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, said the commission’s approach was “commendable”  and “a step towards delivering meaningful system wide reform”.  

“However, it is imperative that this commission does not slow ongoing improvement efforts,” he added. “The sector is currently facing significant pressures, including funding shortfalls, workforce challenges and the increasing demands of an ageing population. Immediate actions, such as investment in workforce development and the integration of technology and data sharing, are crucial steps that cannot wait.”

The government also unveiled plans to use care technology to transform care and support older people to live at home for longer, improve career pathways for care workers and develop new national standards to ensure providers and families use the best care technology. 

It said it will develop a shared digital platform to allow up-to-date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff, including when someone last took their medication, to ensure people receive the best possible care. 

Kehan Zhou, chief executive of electronic medication administration software provider Camascope, welcomed the review but said there was “much to be done to establish the groundwork needed for digitising care homes.”

He added: “Now is the time to focus on how we can support care homes and workers to move away from paper records and adopt digital solutions, reducing errors and giving care staff more time to spend face to face with care residents.”

Skills for Care chief executive Oonagh Smyth said: “We look forward to sharing with the commission the recommendations in the workforce strategy that we published last year with key partners from across our diverse sector and are implementing now to ensure that we have the workforce we need for the future.”

She added: “Skills for Care has already led the work with DHSC on the care workforce pathway, which will help to ensure that the care workforce is valued, developed and rewarded, and on the guiding principles for delegated healthcare activities. We look forward to working with government to implement these initiatives in full over future years”.